Bummer

Here's an article where the FAA sent out an advisory to CFIs that maybe people's hand-flying skills aren't so good and they are over-relying on automation and that CFIs need to start checking that people can still fly the airplane when they do Flight Reviews, Instrument Comp./Prof. Checks, and aircraft checkouts.  The article in AvWeb was titled "FAA Wants Hand-Flying Skills Checked during Flight Reviews".  All I can say to that is...Well, DUH.

The FAA is also going to start requiring student pilots to go through the TSA and get a plastic certificate after background screening instead of getting it at the same time as their first medical.  It will take the TSA several weeks, some are guessing anywhere from 3-6 weeks, to get their student pilot certificate in the mail.  This means no quick solos from start.  Also, it means no more soloing on a kid's 16th birthday, because you have to be 16 to apply, and it'll take a month or more before you get the thing back.  So I figured, if it came down to it, I'd have Kaylee apply for a GLIDER student pilot certificate (they don't specify category at this time), which she could do any time (14 and above) and then when she's 16 she could solo under sport pilot rules on her birthday in the Cub or Champ.  Of course she turns 16 the end of January, which is a little unpleasant of a time of year to be soloing a Cub or Champ, so we'll see.  ;)

Furthermore, the FAA is going to start implementing a TEAM of people to go on people's checkrides.  The Examiner will have an FAA FSDO guy there too, and they could have a few CFIs, an airport manager, they could invite a small crew of people to go along and observe these checkrides.  This is NOT good for most people.  Checkrides are stressful enough when it's you and the Examiner.  Throw in the Examiner, a Federal Examiner examining him and you, and a crew of whomever else they want to bring along to stare at you while you take one of the biggest tests of your life.  I don't know if I could have done it when I did checkrides.  I was traumatized enough at the time--I threw up before my Private Pilot checkride.  I wouldn't TODAY, but more people are more scared of that test than aren't, and this seems very mean.

These things are going into effect April 1st.  So if you want to do a checkride without that, you might consider getting it done while you can with just you and the DPE.

I got quite a bit done today but not one bit of it is interesting to anyone. Kaylee had a two-hour delay, which made her happy, and probably doesn't tomorrow, which doesn't make her happy.  On that fascinating note...